Baseball Holds On to Beat Florida Memorial

Sheehan Planas-Arteaga drove in four of the Bucs' runs in Tuesday's 10-6 win over Florida Memorial. Photo by Joel Auerbach

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University's baseball team exploded for seven runs in the middle innings, and then held off a late-charging Florida Memorial in Tuesday night's 10-6 win at Feinbloom Field.

The Buccaneers (24-15) scored four runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to take a 7-1 lead. Sheehan Planas-Arteaga's one-out double down the right field line broke up a 1-1 tie in the fourth. Luis Arrizurieta's sacrifice fly to center put the Bucs up 4-1. Tyler Kinley's RBI single through the left side, Joe Iorio's RBI double down the left field line on the first pitch he saw and Planas-Arteaga's sacrifice fly in the fifth gave the Bucs a six-run lead.

Florida Memorial (8-35) scored once in the seventh before the Buccaneers tacked on two more in the bottom half of the inning to extend the lead to 9-2. But the Lions sent 10 batters to the plate in the eighth, scoring four runs on two hits, three walks and two hit batsmen to draw within three, 9-6. But Barry reliever Kevin Youst coaxed Florida Memorial's Alejandro Diaz to pop out to end the inning.

Kinley's RBI double to center in the bottom half of the eighth added an insurance run for the Buccaneers, and Youst struck out three batters in the ninth to seal it.

Joeanthony Rivera (3-2) picked up the win in relief, giving up two hits and a walk in two innings of work. Florida Memorial's Hector Antunez (1-4) took the loss after allowing six hits, six runs and a walk in an inning and two-thirds of middle relief.

Planas-Arteaga drove in four runs, going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles from the leadoff spot. Kinley was 3 for 3 with two RBI. Iorio went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base. JC Cardenas was 2 for 3 with three runs scored and two stolen bases, and Michael Slabach was 2 for 5 and scored twice.

Barry's Frank Szczepanik worked the sixth and seventh innings, allowing two hits, a run, a walk, while fanning two in a solid effort out of the bullpen. Starter Alex Decker went three innings, allowing a hit, a walk and a run, while striking out five.

Florida Memorial's Omar Cordero went 2 for 4 with two RBI, and Andy Ruiz drove in two runs for the Lions.

The Buccaneers host Lynn in a three-game series beginning 6 p.m. Friday at Feinbloom Field.